Wind power coming to Kittitas Valley

A plan to erect wind turbines in Kittitas Valley between Cle Elum and Ellensburg was approved today by Gov. Chris Gregoire after years of disagreement between landowners and wind developers.

Capturing the wind. Paul Brown/P-I

The plan has been in the works for five years. The number of turbines was cut from 150 in original plans to about 60.

The gov’s rationale (via a press release quoting from a letter to Jim Luce, chairman of the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council):

“It is clear that Washington is growing and with that growth our demands for energy resources also grow. It is the clear and compelling policy of the state to prefer new resources that have the least impact on our state’s natural environment. Our legislators and our citizens have recently articulated their strong preferences for renewable resources. Those policies are not in doubt and I remain committed to them. … The benefits of this project are considerable and will accrue to the citizens across our state.”

The opponents raise numerous objections (outlined in this story I wrote last month):

Residents and landowners say the machines — which are more than half as tall as Seattle’s Space Needle — are ugly, trashing unspoiled views and reducing property values. They’re concerned about the flickering shadows caused by the spinning blades and the blinking strobe light on each tower.

They worry that the blades whap birds and bats, though fatality rates vary. A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that pesticides and collisions with cars and buildings killed more birds and bats than turbines.

UPDATE:
Got a call from Congressman Doc Hasting’s office around 6 p.m. to make sure we’d seen his August letter to the governor with concerns about the project. While the Eastern Washington lawmaker says he’s not taking a position for or against the project, it’s pretty clear he’s opposed, given the county rejected it. (See Hasting’s letter).

He states:

“It is not a matter of deciding whether wind power should be allowed in the county — Kittitas County already hosts the largest single wind project in the state. The question is under what circumstances the state of Washington would overrule the objections of a locally elected county government on the land-use planning issue.”